Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has directed the NHS to develop accelerated plans for eliminating corridor care for children in hospitals across England, marking a shift toward prioritizing pediatric patients in this practice. The announcement came during a BBC interview where Cooper discussed new standards for pediatric care in accident and emergency departments, alongside the introduction of data collection on corridor care broken down by age group for the first time.
The initiative builds on an existing government pledge to end corridor care for all patients by the conclusion of the current parliamentary term. Corridor care refers to situations where patients receive treatment or await care in corridors, waiting rooms, or other unsuitable hospital areas due to insufficient appropriate space. Cooper stated that no child should be treated in a corridor and emphasized the priority of addressing this practice affecting the youngest patients.
The health secretary’s remarks were prompted by a case highlighted on the programme involving two-year-old Finlay Roberts, who died in 2024 after spending hours in a hospital corridor before being discharged. Finlay’s parents described the experience as a serious failure of care standards, with his mother emphasizing that corridor care deprives patients of dignity during vulnerable moments. Cooper offered an apology to the family on behalf of the NHS.
Concurrently, Cooper announced £140 million in funding directed toward urgent care improvements across England, distributed among 14 initiatives including new urgent care centers, ambulance services expansion, and emergency department renovations. This investment addresses anticipated pressures during the coming months related to seasonal illnesses including flu and norovirus. Data indicated approximately 7.37 million treatments awaited completion at the end of August, involving 6.24 million patients across England.
Criticism and concern about corridor care have emerged from multiple health organizations, including the Royal College of Nursing and Age UK, which warned that eradicating the practice requires coordinated system-wide action. Nursing representatives cautioned that the new funding, while beneficial, represents an insufficient response to deeper workforce shortages and system capacity constraints entering the winter period.
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